Belgium counters US with $23 million funding to UNRWA

Brussels (UNA-OIC) � Belgium has stepped in to help out the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) with an immediate disbursement of $23 million after the Trump administration suspended $65 million in aid for the Agency, The Associated Press reported.

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Wednesday that “for a lot of Palestinian refugees, the UNRWA is the last life buoy.” Among the group’s projects are helping half a million children get an education and fending off attempts to radicalize them.

De Croo said he was responding to a global fundraising appeal from UNRWA in hopes of making up for funding cuts announced by the United States. The 19 million euros is Belgium’s allocation for three years but because of the group’s immediate need, De Croo’s office said it will be “disbursed immediately.”

The State Department announced on Tuesday that the United States has cut its aid contribution to UNRWA until reforms are made. The Agency provides educational, health, social and credit services to Palestinian refugees living in the Palestinian territories, as well as in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.